The climate of hate

Here my personal comments to the attack to Berlusconi happened during a public speach in Milan.

Double language

This blog was born in double language. But after years i came to the conclusion that there is not a real interest in it. So, from now on, in the English version i will put only the title and a short description for each post. If anybody is interested i will link the Italian version. Please anybody feel free to ask me, any translation.

Where the hell is that wooden stairway?

Buco del Piombo

October 11th, 2009
We leave the dogs at home and head out for nice excursion. We found some informations on the net to reach the "scala di legno" [wooden stairway] from Capanna Mara (a refuge), but we decide to hike the path backwards. We park the car at Albavilla, next to a strange building, the "Alpe del vicerè". This building was built infact by the vicerè [the viceroy], as a rest station for his horses. The building then was transformed to a hotel and now it is just a ruin falling apart. Here there is a huge parking lot, closed by a barrier (it looks like when it is open there is a fee to pay). Anyway, there is enough space at the side of the white road.
From here the path starts on a carriage road downhill, in the chestnut forest. A lot of people hike this path, maybe for the easiness of the hike, and for the attractive of the destination. The path, infact, ends up at a rocky stairway with 200 steps that takes you to the Buco del Piombo museum. It is a cave where they provide guided visits. To enter you have to pay five euros, but our destination is another. We ask the

View of the path coming from Erba

directions to the guide, who is waiting at the ticket shop, for the path to go to the Scala di Legno and Scala di Ferro [iron stairway]. They are connections between two paths at different altitude. I already was imagining myself with shaking legs due to my dislike to extreme heights, although the guide reassures us about its safety. After the stairways there should be a terrific view of the "Orrido di Caino".

Following the directions of the guide, we go back on our steps and take from the main carriage road a detour that takes us to a stone bridge ("ponte Romano"). Over here the path divides in three directions. The first one, just before the bridge, looks like going back to the Alpe del Vicerè, along an alternative path. We see coming from a second path some people that tell us they are coming from the city of Erba. Next to the bridge there is a trail marker pointing to a third path, but unfortunately it doesn't indicate any "Scala di Legno". We follow anyway this alternative, but after a while, coasting the river, the path arrives to a dead end just after a ford.
A little disappointed we decide to go back, with the intention to try again another time, maybe following better the directions from the web.

Round trip:

Time: 3:47

Distance: 17.1km [10.63mi]

Difference of level: 666m [2185']

Altitude: between 442m [1450'] and 864m [2835']

GPS track of the excursion.
A: Alpe del Vicerè; B: Buco del Piombo; C: ponte 'Romano'; D: ford

Statistics of all the excursions during year 2009:

Total time: 30:20

Distance: 118.39km [73.56mi]

Difference of level: 6188m [20302']

Minimum altitude: 343m [1125']

Maximum altitude: 1550m [5085']